Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), the inaugural edition of EuroTier Middle East, the world's leading trade show for animal husbandry and livestock management, kicked off today at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). 

The opening ceremony drew the participation of His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Mehairi, Minister of State for Food Security, His Excellency Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development and Board Member of ADAFSA, His Excellency Saeed Al Bahri Salem Al Ameri, Director General of ADAFSA, and His Excellency Rashed Mohammed Al Mansoori, Chairman of the EuroTier Middle East Organising Committee. Other senior officials from various government entities in Abu Dhabi also attended the event.

Running until 4 September 2019, EuroTier has attracted over 120 exhibitors and 150 companies from 16 countries, including Saudi Arabia, which is the country of honour.

His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi said: "Owing to the keen interest of the UAE's visionary leadership in driving innovation, exchanging successful experiences, and leveraging the latest technologies to achieve sustainability across the board, the country has become a global incubator for a wide range of new solutions in this field. This pioneering approach goes a long way in increasing the efficiency of food production, and boosting food diversity and food security."

He noted that hosting EuroTier Middle East in Abu Dhabi reinforces the importance of the livestock sector in the UAE and the wider region.

During his tour of the exhibition, His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi praised the high level of its organisation as well as the efforts of ADAFSA to enhance livestock sustainability, support local livestock production, and maintain food diversity.

For her part, Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Mehairi said: "EuroTier Middle East is a pioneering step towards enabling the UAE to leverage latest technology towards enhancing its animal production. The animal farming sector plays a significant role in improving food production and creating new economic opportunities in the UAE. Livestock development, alongside modern farming techniques, is poised to factor in achieving the objectives of National Food Security Strategy, and supporting our collective efforts to provide healthy, safe, sufficient, adequate and affordable food to everyone in society under all circumstances."

Al Mehairi added: "Through the inaugural edition of the EuroTier Middle East, we seek to capitalize on best global solutions to develop the country's livestock sector. The UAE provides an enabling environment for investment and expansion in this vital sector. This will enable us to achieve diversification and efficiency in food production, while creating new opportunities for projects dedicated to food production across the UAE"

His Excellency Dr  Al Khaili said: "Hosting EuroTier Middle East for the first time in Abu Dhabi reiterates the growing importance of livestock sector as a key enabler of food security and major driver of economic development and diversification in the Abu Dhabi through its significant contribution to the emirate's GDP growth."

He added: "The event serves as an ideal platform for all stakeholders in animal husbandry from across the region. It provides farm owners and animal breeders with an unprecedented opportunity to explore sustainable practices and the latest technologies in animal production. Through exchanging successful experiences and innovative practices, local animal farmers can enrich their knowledge and enhance their skills, which will lead to improved performance and higher productivity within this vital sector."

On the opening day, EuroTier Middle East hosted an animal beauty contest that showcased 5,000 food-producing animals from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman, and an auction of the best local breeds that featured 1,300 animals and drew the participation of 175 breeders.

The packed agenda included a series of workshops introducing farmers to key skills and competencies necessary to enhance their operations, moderated by Dr Yassir Mohammed Eltahir. The sessions discussed a wide range of topics, such as genetics in camel breeding, presented by Prof Dr Pamela Burger, University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria, practical recommendations for camel nutrition under arid conditions by Dr Rafat Al Jassim, Nutrition Biochemist and Gut Microbiologist at the University of Queensland in Australia, infertility and reproduction techniques in camels by Dr Abdallah Fares Zaki Al Fares, Animal Production, ADAFSA, and aquaculture: aspects of modern nutrition by Dr Bert Wecker, Neomar, Germany. Day one also included a session on wrong practices followed by animal breeders, conducted by Dr Ali Mohamed Aldewairiji, the Ministry of Water and Environment of Saudi Arabia.

EuroTier Middle East also featured eight live demos spanning livestock and food manufacturing operation tracking systems, steam sterilisers for cows, optimal animal breeds for the local environment, livestock-handling equipment and tools, barn-cooling systems, incubation and industrial cooling systems for poultry farming, methods of handling animals in open air, and livestock care equipment.

On the second day of the event, the EuroTier Middle East International Conference will convene renowned specialists in animal production and biosecurity from across the globe to highlight the most pressing issues in the animal husbandry sector. Organised under the supervision of ADAFSA and supported by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the event will attract leading experts and researchers from ADAFSA as well as prominent local and international universities, institutes and research centres. Experts will present 12 research papers addressing key issues and developments related to contemporary dairy farming in arid regions, including animal welfare, managing heat stress in dairy herds, modern hoof care in dairy herds, successful dairy farm management with economics as a main pillar, and using technology for dairy production.